New Blog Address!

Okay, so I have a new and improved blog for our little family. I have been having so much fun experimenting, and thought if I messed up on the other blog I didn't worry. But now, to view the latest and greatest from the Morris Fam....visit

www.scmorrisbunch.blogspot.com

This is our new blog and I won't be posting anything else to this old blog anymore.

Treehouse Fun ...... and More Improvements!

Ashley and I got the boys together again this week and went to the Treehouse Museum. I had never been before and it's literally 3 minutes from my house!

Carter and Hunter play so well together and Ash and I have become such great friends! Hunter is such a good boy (most of the time) and really is a great friend and example to Carter.

Here's the two boys making their Wind-Socks!

Silly Carter in the "doctor's" section brushing his teeth!
Apparently painting the cabinets and dresser has got me feeling very self-confident lately....so I spontaneously called today to see if we could get our "awning" removed from the front of our house.

This awning was yet another sore spot of our home. We have these two REALLY BIG windows in our living room that really make the room feel huge when the curtains are open....well there has been this awning completely in the way! And our home faces North so no sun comes "beating" in through those windows.

Scott hasn't even seen the transformation yet....so here's another before and after!

The best part is that I was able to get SOMEONE ELSE to do the work for me! I better not get used to writing a check and having it all taken care of for me though. :)

From the inside of our living room, it feels so much bigger. Before your view was cut of half way up the window and now your eyes keep going! Our home is really coming along!

My Greatest Accomplishment Yet....

My cute friend Megan recently bought a new home and Carter and I went over there to "play" last week. She actually is the BEST decorator in the WORLD!!! She always knows what to put where, neat faux painting techniques and just overall makes her home look AMAZING!

Well, seeing her cabinets painted INSPIRED me to get on mine. My kitchen cabinets have been the sore spot of my kitchen. They are nice wood cabinets but are so dark it just makes the whole room feel small. I never knew what to do with them until we went to Megan's.

Well, as a second part of my new found LOVE for "crackle" paint.....here are my kitchen cabinets, before and after.

I am so proud and excited to say that after only 7 hours (split into two days) of work our kitchen is almost done! I just have a few more spots to take care of and then our kitchen can be complete!

From Drab...TO FAB!!!!!!

I was inspired the other day and completely THRILLED I acted on it!

We have this dresser/buffet/cabinet that's really a nice piece of furniture. It's well made and very sturdy (a MUST in our home) However, I have never loved the color and stain it has. So basically it's been just sitting in our "storage room" (Carter's old room) doing nothing.

Here comes my inspiration....I thought it would look really nice with the "crackle" faux painting on it in a creamy color. I did some research online about how to do the "crackle" look and am so please with the end result!

While we were at Lowes for Carter's workshop I went by the paint department to check out what they had and the rep from Valspar (my new favorite brand of paint) was there. He gave me EXPERT advise for my project!

Here's what the dresser looked like before I got to work on it (I made my laundry room my new "craft project room" because the floor is already bad and I still get to keep everything inside.)

This is the new and improved version of my dresser!

If anyone is interested, this was so EASY! I'm not very good at painting and keeping everything really nice and uniform.....well with the crackle glaze it's EASY! I sanded down the wood to begin with (just enough to rough it up a bit) and then rolled on a layer of the "crackle" glaze and let it sit for 1 hour, then I rolled on a layer of my top coat! That's seriously it, I let it dry over night and now it's done. I only took me about 3 hours total (even with the 1 hour dry time!)

Lowes

I LOVE Lowes! They had this great little "Kid's Workshop" today. It's totally FREE, and you get to make different things every week. This week was TRUCK WEEK!!!!! So of course, we all know Carter HAD to take part in it!

Here's our little man in his "work apron" before the project started~

Here he is hard at work! (goggles and all)
Here's Carter and myself. (Scott was working today so my family and I took Carter to Lowes.)
The Real Salt Lake Lion, Leo, was there and to my amazement....Carter LOVED him! When the lion would leave and give another kid attention, Carter threw a fit! (Spoiled only child....) It was so much fun today!
We made a red truck and met Leo the lion and seriously had a GREAT time! I think this is going to be a regular activity in the Morris household....hopefully next time Scott can join us.

From Ordinary to EXTRAORDINARY!

I know I've been slacking on the posting lately, but I was so sick for almost 4 days! I think it was the stomach flu...but I referred to it as "the Angel of Death!"

Anyway, because poor Carter has been stuck in the house because I haven't been doing well....Scott and I decided to go to the store and get him a "treat."

When we walked through the doors guess what we saw.....That's right a Fire Truck shopping cart. You all know there was no denying Carter a ride in this one!

He LOVED every minute of it!
This is once we got home and I showed Carter what Ben and Jerry's was all about! They have these adorable mini sized containers for $1 at the store that's just perfect for little ones! It was such an easy thing to do but so much fun!
This morning I was getting Carter's toast ready and remembered what my mom got for him the other day.....

Here's normal pieces of toast that are definitely not fun int he morning...
I have this cookie cutter thing that's made for bread that turns a normal piece of toast into TWO DINOSAURS!!!! Carter absolutely LOVED it!
These two things were so easy...so even though I'm still recovering from my near-death experience, I could still make things fun. The best part is that Carter has no idea how much these things cost or how much effort I had to put into it, he just knows how much fun he has!

We're Under Constuction!

So I had the "Brilliant" idea to change my background last night and now am having MAJOR trauma trying to configure things again!

So have patience while I change things, try to reconfigure some things and add some more fun things!

From Sippy Cup to.....BUCKET!!!!

Only my son would think it was a great idea to drink from a bucket. In an earlier post, I mentioned that Carter loves this bucket and wears it on his head like a hat. (He will keep this bucket on like a hat for hours at a time...no kidding) Anyway, Scott and I were hanging out watching the Olympics when we saw what Carter was up to....

This child has NEVER used a real cup before other than a sip or two from either me or Scott. So where he even got the idea is beyond me!
He poured the juice I had in my cup (the blue one) into his bucket on the end table by the couch and decided to drink right from the bucket!
This is him going back for a refill
This is Carter's "I'm so proud of myself" pose!
What a goof!

Hogle Zoo....and Sister Time!

My sister Julia, (aka Ju JU by Carter) is still on her summer break...so on one of my days off we decided to take Carter to the Zoo! What's even greater is that Julia actually won our tickets to get in....so it was a FREE trip to the Zoo.

Here's a pic of the three of us riding the train...

At first Carter had no idea what to think about the Carosel....well I am proud to say he seriously enjoyed himself once he figured out what it was going to do.
I had no idea the zoo had the great "discovery" area for the kids! Carter loved it! And what's even better is that he wore himself out and fell asleep on the way home! This is a pic of Carter and me in this egg....it was quite an effort on my part to squeeze in the small opening!
Of course, what would a playground be without a slide....and do you think Carter could pass up an excuse to go down one with Aunt? NO WAY!!!!
This one is cute of Carter and his Aunt Ju Ju
We had such a great time at the Zoo and are so glad Julia could join us!

Favorite Things....

My Cute Sister-in-law had this on her blog and I thought it was fun.....so here are some of my favorite "everyday" items.

1. I am not the world's greatest cook, however I can put out an AMAZING breakfast spread! I got a griddle for one of my Birthdays because I LOVE to make pancakes. (I even have my own recipe that I came up with for using on 6 ingredients)

2. I LOVE our new camera. So I'm way partial to Sonys, we have just about Sony EVERYTHING in our house and I have had NO problems with any of them! Scott and I had the same camera for almost 4 years now and in the technology world, that's FOREVER! So we finally got a new one. I LOVE it, it's so small I can literally fit it anywhere and it takes pictures so quickly!

3. All Small and Mighty! Absolutely LOVE this. I actually get the three pack at the Commissary for $6 so it's a steal!!!!! And it doesn't take up nearly as much room in my laundry room that they bigger generic containers did!

4. I know it sounds really funny but I think EVERY household needs a Swivvel Sweeper! It's amazing. It's so light-weight and can fit completely under my couches! Carter loves it too, which makes me even more happy!5. I LOVE the rolls you get at Texas Roadhouse. Scott and I love to eat here for many reasons: Carter can throw his food on the floor and it just blends in with the peanut shells, we can be loud and not make a scene, I eat my fill of the free rolls and just get an appetizer, Scott loves the steak fries!6. I know I'm a big freak....but Carmex is something that I just CAN'T live without. I have one everywhere: nightstand, purse, car, work, diaper bag, you name it! I have to put it on before I go to bed, when I wake up, before I leave the house and throughout the day!

7. I seriously LOVE my 4Runner. I love how much room I have in the back, I love the separate heater for the back and my dark tinted windows! I have been able to fit so many things in it and it still manages to look nice inside! I love the push button 4-wheel drive for the winter time and I love that Scott and I got it for a deal!
8. My dishwasher is amazing! I know it's funny to love something like a dishwasher but it's new one and I can fit 3 times as much stuff in it than our older one. I love that I can program it to wash our dishes at night after I've gone to bed and that it can handle Carter "helping" me do the dishes every night!
9. So it's been so hot lately and the ice cream maker I got for my birthday is seriously my favorite. I've made Old Fashion Vanilla and Strawberry Sorbet so far and they really have turned out pretty well!
10. I have this new obsession that Scott so makes fun of me for....ONE TREE HILL!!!!! I am about halfway through the third season so far and am IN LOVE! I stay up late watching episodes and the best part is....NO COMMERCIALS! If you've never seen it....it's definitely worth a shot!
So these are some of my favorite things that are in my "everyday life." What are some of your favorite things?

It Never Gets Any Easier....

Carter has been going to daycare (at least once a week) since he was 3 months old....you'd think I'd be used to dropping him off at someone's home and going to work.....It has only become WORSE for me to leave him!

I have loved some of the homes he's gone to, like Ashley and Hunter's or Miss Laura's, and it's not that I don't trust this new lady with my son....it's the fact that in Carter's eyes I'm the MEAN MOM that leaves him at some strange home for who knows how long!

Today was the first day of his new daycare (because I'm still employed until the end of November) and I knew it wasn't going to be easy.....but it has NEVER been this HARD!!!!! My poor little man stood in their living room screaming for me as I had to just walk away and head to work.

If you've ever had to leave your child at daycare, you know what I'm going through right now. For those of you who haven't CONSIDER YOURSELF LUCKY! It's the WORST feeling in the world to know that your son is screaming and crying for you and you have to just walk away and go to work. I don't wish this feeling on ANYONE!!!!! Scott has the better job, he gets to pick Carter up and look like the "good one" while I have to drop him off and leave him.

I think it's getting harder now that Carter's older because he can say "Mommy no!" as he's crying and reaching up for me....I seriously cried on my way into work today! (I've never done that before) It's just so hard.

I keep telling myself that it's only a matter of 4 months and I'll be done, but it really doesn't make it any easier. It's so hard to come to work now and try to focus on other things while I know Carter's probably still wondering where his mommy's at.

So today is a sad day for me, I called Scott and told him all about it and he really doesn't handle it when I melt down like this. We both want to make our lives better and know that me staying where I'm at for the next couple of months is going to do that, but we're really struggling with the daycare situation. If only Carter knew that this situation is WORSE and HARDER for his parents than on him.....

22 Months of Carter.......Fun Memories!

Our Little Carter is now 22 Months Old!!!!

Of course I have to continue my tradition of new things about Carter now that he's 22 months old....(I've added some photos to make this more fun)

1. Carter has his first best friend! Hunter's mom watched Carter for me while I worked and Carter played with Hunter. He was at their house about twice a week for almost 10 months! They are sooo cute together, they fight over toys and grab things from eachother, but they also share, give hugs and LOVE to see eachother.

2. Carter can now say the following words really well: Bus, Papa, Grandma, Mommy, Daddy, Ju Ju (my sister Julia) Baby, Juice, Please, Hot, No, Yes, Up, Help, 1, 2, 3, Car, Hi, Hello, Poo poo, Pee pee, Mine, There it is, That Way

3. Carter is starting at a new daycare this week, but hopefully he realizes it's only for another couple of months

4. He has all of his molar teeth but still only four teeth on the top and bottom in the front of his mouth

5. He LOVES playgrounds. He actually goes up and down every slide now all by himself. This is a photo of him at the Dinosaur Park....LOVING IT!!! 5. Carter loves to play with Timmy now. He will throw things for Timmy to fetch. It's really cute seeing them together.

6. Carter is right now going through another "phase" of separation anxiety. It doesn't matter who is leaving him, he freaks out. (Once Margaret was leaving him at home and he was freaking out that he was being left alone with Scott and myself)

7. Carter says hi to EVERYONE he sees. He will wave to cashiers, other diners at dinner, everywhere we go that little boy is so friendly.

8. Carter LOVES to talk on phones. He will carry one around and just say "hello" repeatedly.

9. He is so energetic

10. He plays hard, but also sleeps really well at night and for naps.

11. He LOVES to eat at the Pizza Factory because they have the funnest bread sticks ever! 12. He Loves spending time with just me, or just Scott. His "alone" time with us makes him so happy. (He'll be getting some more alone time with me shortly!)

13. He loves to wear buckets on his head like hats and walk around the house.

14. He loves going up and down our stairs and exploring BOTH floors now!

15. He makes growling noises when he sees dinosaurs

16. He yells at other people's dogs if they bark. He says "No Barking" to the dogs.

17. He also gets really excited when he knows that all three of us are going somewhere together. With Scott working so much, it's been hard to find time to go out as a family. But lately things have become easier. So we took Carter to Fat Cats and he LOVED it. This is the three of us inside a video game. 18. He wears 18 month bottoms and usually 24 month tops.

19. He loves when people come to the house to visit.

20. He is definitely NOT shy!

21. When he sees pictures of people, he's say "hello ____" and then walk away. It's way cute.

22. He has a new found love for water guns or water bottles. Pretty much anything that squirts water is FUN for Carter. We went over to one of Scott's work friends last night and they brought out these little water guns...here's cute Carter LOVING IT!!!!
Fun Memories

So I've seen this "memories tag" floating around the blogs lately and thought it would be fun--so here are the instructions:

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you can remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one I remember about you.

Playground Fun!

We have this amazing playground near our house, there's a great paved walk-way that we do laps around once a week. I decided to take both "boys" (Carter and Timmy) ona walk the other night so I could a little bit of exercise in. We were doing our usual laps, when Carter noticed the huge playground.

I couldn't resist giving in, he was so cute about it!

As I'm sure you can guess, Carter favorite part was the sterring wheel. This little boy is OBSESSED with anything related to CARS!!!!!
Here's one of poor Timmy waiting (not so paitently or quietly) below.
Carter LOVES the climbing wall. Much to my dismay, this little boy is FEARLESS!!!!
It was such a beautiful evening, we seriously stayed at that playground for almost an hour!